Did I play tough enough?

In last week’s negotiation process, I used different influence tactics, without being aware of it. In the beginning, I was aiming to find a mutually acceptable deal, but when we started the process, I started playing tough. We started our negotiation with salary and we were both determined to get the highest points. After we reached a stalemate and my applicant stated that she has a better offer from another job, I decided to re-frame to break the deadlock. I gave her what she asked for salary, and due to “law of reciprocity”, she was less tough on other options.
As a recruiter, I was dealing with a qualified candidate whom I was determined to hire without losing many points. So when I lost the battle in salary, I implemented bargaining strategy. I used my recruiter position as an advantage and offered the rest of the benefits in a package format. This method worked satisfactorily to my advantage. Although I was surprised that so many other recruiters had more points that I had as they weren’t as lenient as I was about salary.
When I realized my applicant and I are both aiming for the same location, I tried not to let her know that it is also my optimal choice, so I used the location option as my winning card to get points on other benefits. I learned from this exercise that I should have asked more questions from the applicant, before making an offer. If I had let the applicant talk first, I would have obtained more information about her motives and could have adjusted the benefit packages more wisely.
The key to success in every negotiation is prior research of the subject matter, but the challenging part of this exercise was that neither of the parties was prepared. We had to think about alternatives instantaneously.
I believe I use bargaining along with friendliness strategy often in my everyday life to influence people. During conflicts, if possible, I try to offer something valuable in exchange for another worthy favor. Meanwhile, I try to keep a positive impression on the other party.